


As Numerous as Grains of Sand

by tabine



Category: Xiaolin Showdown (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-24
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2017-12-27 13:34:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 15,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/979535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabine/pseuds/tabine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of assorted drabbles, ficlets, and vignettes with no particular order or sense of coherency, featuring the characters of "Xiaolin Showdown".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. rival jack would like to battle

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: _Rival Jack would like to battle! What will trainer do?_
> 
> At the time of this posting (September 24, 2013) this collection of drabbles is approximately thirty chapters long, the entirety of which can be found on Fanfiction.net under the same name. Thank you!

"Not that I have not been in showdowns more bizarre than this," Omi says, "but what are we doing?" He looks at the strange device in his hands, and begins to attempting to pry it open with his fingers.

Clay shrugs. "Don't look at me, lil' buddy," he says, looking across the strange stadium they're suddenly in. "Your guess is just as good as mine."

A familiar cackle echoed from the other side of the stadium. "Rival Jack would like to battle! What will you Xiaolin losers do?"

Kimiko looked down at the little red-and-white sphere in her hands for a moment before recognition flashed on her face. "I think I know what the showdown is now, guys." She grinned and tossed the device into the field. The sphere opened, and a burst of light emitted from it, revealing a small fox-like figure. Kimiko's smile grew wider. "A Vulpix - awesome!"

Raimundo blinked. "Seriously? A Pokemon battle? I've always wanted to be in one." He threw his own device into the field and smirked. "I choose you... Braviary? Sweet!"

"Ooh, ooh, me next!" Omi, too, tossed his Pokeball into the field, followed by Clay. 

From across the field, Jack Spicer made an incredulous sort of noise. "No fair - a Poliwrath _and_ a Torterra? You guys got all the good Pokemon!" He threw his own Pokeball into the field. "A Magnezone? Cool."

"Are we going to sit around all day, Spicer, or are we going to battle?" Kimiko said. She narrowed her eyes as the Vulpix beside her opened its mouth and let a stream of fire into the air above the stadium. 

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Let's go," he called out. " _Xiaolin showdown!_ "


	2. that one time they got ice cream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Jack and the monks out for ice cream. BECAUSE IT'S CANON YO._ (Submitted by **tohomikos** on tumblr.)

Clay had never though Jack Spicer to be one for strawberry ice cream - he seemed more like a Superman flavor sort of fellow. But there was the self-proclaimed boy genius now, spooning large scoops of the cold pink cream into his mouth as if each bite was to be his last. He took a bite of his own cone of rocky road thoughtfully. “I know you got to eat ice cream real fast before it melts,” he said, “but aren’t you worried about getting brainfreeze, Spicer?”

“Yeah, man,” Raimundo agreed. He pointed his cone of pistachio ice cream at Jack’s face. “You’re scarfing that down faster than Clay when he’s got a plate of hotdogs.”

The boy genius took the spoon out of his mouth and set it in his now-empty bowl. “We’re not fighting right now,” he said. “You could just call me ‘Jack’, you know.”

Kimiko shuddered and shook her head. “Too weird.” She delicately spooned out a bit of her cookie dough ice cream and took a bite. “This whole thing is too weird.” But then she gave Jack a small (if strained) smile. “Thanks for treating us, though.”

“And what a treat it was!” Omi sighed contentedly and leaned back and gave his stomach a satisfied pat. “We should do this more often. I like these Mondays.”

Raimundo rolled his eyes. “They’re called “sundaes”, Omi.”

“Yes.” The small monk belched happily. “That.”

Jack ignored them. “Really?” He grinned. “I’m free next Saturday, if you guys want to grab a movie or something.”

“Easy now, Spicer,” Clay replied. “Don’t push your luck.”

“Fine, fine,” Jack replied. He looked down at the empty bowl in front of him. “Anyone up for seconds?”


	3. epitome of a brotp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Raimundo, Omi, Jack, and a brOTP._

More often than not, when Raimundo was looking for an opportunity to relax, he did not particularly care for Omi's company, much less Jack Spicer's - simply because Jack was Jack and Omi was Omi. But here he was in Jack Spicer's surprisingly clean and well-lit bedroom (his lair in the basement was under repair, apparently) playing truth-or-dare, of all things, with one egocentric cueball and a failure of a boy genius.

It wasn't that bad, all things considered. Jack was surprisingly good at coming up with decent enough truths and dares, and Omi was more than willing to perform even the dumbest of the dares. Raimundo only wished that Clay hadn't fallen asleep so early that evening - getting the older boy to don one of Mrs. Spicer's ridiculous cocktail dresses and a pair of her heels was the only thing he could think of that could top Jack wearing that pair of lime green hotpants earlier.


	4. clay's just a simple farm boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Steampunk AU._ (Submitted by **thexgrayxlady** on tumblr.)

Clay has never particularly liked airships. He prefers the feel of the warm, solid earth beneath his feet, or at least the familiar feeling of smooth scales and sinuous muscle as he rode on dragonback with the others of his order. But with Dojo so severely ill, the only option left to them was a strange contraption that flew threw the air that Kimiko and Raimundo had built together at the last minute. Granted, it is an airship, but instead of running on engines and steam it was a much smaller and modified model that used the Xiaolin Dragons as a power source: Omi manipulates barrels of water into steam, Kimiko controls the fires that allowed the airship to ride, and Raimundo worked with the wind currents that surrounded the airship to steer it to their destination.

And that leaves Clay to control the coal in great stove that powered the steam engine. With a groan he adjusts thick leather apron and places the protective goggles over his eyes. “Time to get to business,” he says to no one in particular as he begins to manipulate the coal.

He’s a simple farmboy, after all. Clay just wants to feel solid earth beneath his feet again - or, perhaps, when they reach their destination, Jack Spicer will be there, and he’ll be able to bash around the mechanist’s automatons a bit until he feels better.


	5. he hasn't seen her bad side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Raimundo and Kimiko sneaking out of the temple at night._ (Submitted by **anonymous** on tumblr.)

“Raimundo,” Kimiko whispered, “this is really not a good idea.”

The older boy narrowed his eyes. “We’re _sneaking out of the temple_ in the _middle of the night_ , girl,” he told her. “Of course it’s a bad idea.”

She glared at him. “So why are we doing this?”

Raimundo looked down into the stone shelf of the vault and smirked when he found the Golden Tiger Claws. He pushed it back into the wall and put the claws on his hand. “I’ve got something to show you,” he replied.

“This better be good, Rai.” Kimiko frowned. “If I end up losing sleep over something dumb, you’re the one who’s going to pay.”

“Sheesh.” He glared at her. “You think I’m stupid enough to get on your bad side?”

Kimiko crossed her arms over her chest. “You haven’t seen my bad side.”

“I’ll never see your bad side after this, Kim,” he said to her. Quickly, he wrapped an arm around her waist. “Golden Tiger Claws!” 

“ _Raimundo!_ ” she pounded at his chest to get him to drop her, but to no avail. He ignored her and leapt, and together they jumped through the strange, swirling vortex.


	6. wuya hates cats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Hmm… Hmm… Wuya and the Warrior Cats. :D_ (Submitted by **grapeicies** on tumblr.)

Chase's jungle cats don't care much for Wuya, and she, for the most part, returns their sentiments. Perhaps it is because she is far too used to being intangible - the recovery of her physical form has reminded her why she doesn't care much for animals: their hair gets _everywhere_. And the litter boxes of so many felines isn't a subject she isn't even going to get started on.

For the most part, however, Wuya and the cats have made a tacit agreement, of sorts - save for the times when Chase demands the presence of both Wuya and the cats, she leaves them be, and they in turn do the same for her. It is an arrangement she can approve of; Wuya knows they are under Chase's orders to watch her every movement, and she certainly won't give them any reason to report to their master - particularly when that master is capable of removing her powers and one of the greatest martial artists the world has ever seen.

Wuya is aware of the cats' distaste for her, however, and she supposes she can understand why - having them find her in Chase's private chambers in a delicately compromising situation with Chase himself might have had something to do with it.


	7. dinosaur messes are very large

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _I JUST REWATCHED "OIL IN THE FAMILY" AND REALIZED THAT I'VE NEVER SEEN ANY FICS THAT MENTION THE DINO TERRARIUM. Which is a shame because I think it's one of the neatest things ever. So my prompt for you is whatever you can think to write about the mini-dinos in their terrarium from the end of "Oil in the Family." ouo_ (Submitted by **secretelaborateplan** on tumblr.)

Raimundo hates chores. The cleaning and the washing is one thing, but he'd much rather prefer that over… this.

"This" being the cleaning of the dino terrarium, which the monks switched on and off between themselves every other week. At first, Raimundo hadn't though much of it - they were tiny dinosaurs, after all. How much of a mess could they make?

He'd learned the hard way that it was a surprisingly large amount.


	8. recon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Dumb, shippy RaiKim stuff._

He's not entirely sure how it happened - one moment they're creeping along the path behind the Cyclops, and the next she's pulled him away from the path and pressed him against the face of the mountain bordering the path. Her hand is covering his mouth, but she isn't looking at him. Instead, she's watching the figures further up the path.

But he's looking at her, now, even though he's not entirely sure why. Hers is a face he knows by heart, now. They're partners, and comrades, and - oh, he is suddenly overcome by an urge to kiss her.

"Rai, there's someone up there with the Cyclops, and I think - mmph!"


	9. she always gets her way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Based on fanart by **epiphany-on-toast** on tumblr.

"Come  _on_ , Raimundo." 

He can feel the irritation in her voice, emanating from her in waves so strong he can feel the heat keenly on his face - or maybe that's just the blush he's trying so hard to fight down. Regardless, her anger isn't something he's too intent on facing at the moment, but he can't see any way out of the current situation. And so he tries to play it off as nonchalantly as he can. 

"Do I  _have_ to?" he asks her, and mentally, he kicks himself in the head for sounding like a whining kid. 

The corner of her lip lifts up momentarily at his response, even though her arms are still crossed over her chest and her eyebrows are still furrowed in annoyance, and he thinks that if looks really could kill, he'd be burnt toast by now. "What do you think?"

"I think - " he begins, but the snappy comeback he'd had in mind disappears almost immediately when her glare grows even stronger and her frown deepens, and it is with a sigh that he hangs his head in defeat. " _Fine_ ," he says, and quickly takes one of her hands in his. Her skin is surprisingly cool to the touch. "Happy?"

She smiles and pulls on his arm, bringing him down to her height before pressing her lips to his cheek. "Thank you," she replies smugly.

"Yeah, yeah." He straightens up and looks away pointedly as he feels the blush growing stronger. "You're lucky you're cute."


	10. death-by-chocolate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Chase Young wants ice cream._ (Submitted by **anonymous** on tumblr.)

“Wuya.”

“Yes, Chase?”

“I feel… restless.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know why. I feel the need to do _something_ , though not necessarily something _evil_.”

“…is this another ‘man thing’, Chase? I know you’re the Prince of Darkness, but not everyone is capable of fixing the plumbing on their own, and even Jack knows - ”

“Quiet, witch.”

“ - fine.”

“…Wuya.”

“What is it now, Chase?”

“Where… is the nearest ice cream parlor?”

And that is the story of how Chase Young discovered the joy of death-by-chocolate flavored ice cream.


	11. frilly impractical garments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Omi finds some of kimikos undergarments in the wash and takes them to raimundo to find out what they are..._ (Submitted by **anonymous** on tumblr.)

To make a long story short, Omi was very confused.

He looked at the pieces of fabric in his hands, unsure of what to make of them. They were unlike anything he had ever seen before. Clearly, they were garments of some sort, but their apparent lack of practicality had created for him a very interesting conundrum of sorts. Pondering the situation for a few short minutes, however, soon led Omi to the next logical course of action: seek the wisdom of someone more well-versed in life outside the temple walls than he. And whom better to ask than his dear friend Raimundo? With that thought in mind, Omi set off to find him, the strange garments tucked away discreetly in the sleeve of his robes.

Omi found the older boy in the room they shared with Clay and Kimiko, lying on his stomach upon the modest mat that served as his bed while idly flipping through a magazine, which he quickly stuffed under his blanket after noticing the small monk's presence; Omi only barely managed to catch a glimpse of the words "swimsuit edition" on the glossy cover before it was hidden from view by the pale green blanket.

"So, what can I do you for?" Raimundo asked, placing his hands behind his head and leaning back against the wall.

"There is something I must ask you, Raimundo," Omi replied. He took the garments from his sleeve and placed them on the floor. "Do you know what these are?"

Instantly, Raimundo body snapped to attentiveness, and his face momentarily turned a startling shade of red before all the color drained from it; Omi thought he looked rather unwell. "That, my little friend," Omi began, "is your death warrant."

"What do you mean?" Omi picked up one of the garments and brought it closer to his face for further inspection. "I do not see how it could cause me harm. Look - it has bunnies on it!"

"It's not about  _what_  - it's about  _who_." Raimundo shook his head and shuddered.

Omi picked up the other garment. It was teal, and edged with a frilly pink border. "Who-who?"

"Dude," Raimundo hissed, "those are  _Kimiko's_. Now get them out of here before she - " He was interrupted by a screech that sounded as if it were coming from the entrance to the building.

" _Who. Took. My. Underwear?_ "

It was then that Omi realized that he was suddenly most frightened indeed.


	12. switzerland is neutral

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _w...would you be okay with doing a chai drabble? ;w; (and if the answer is yes than the prompt is seaweed) ((if the answer is no i can pick another pairing ahaha))_ (Submitted by **secretelaborateplan** on tumblr.)

As with any situation, there were both good and bad things about being Shoku Warrior and leader of the Xiaolin monks. Among the good things were the cool new uniform, the meetings he attended with the senior-most monks, and the responsibility of planning when and where training would take place; forgotten were the days when training meant standing neck-deep in snow an hour before dawn - now they trained at noon on the golden beaches of Hawaii, until they got bored and decided to train in the Bahamas instead. But as great as the good things were, the bad things were just as… well,  _bad_.

Chores still needed to be done. The safety of the world always weighed heavily on his shoulders. And as the leader of the latest order of the Xiaolin Dragons, ancient law required that Raimundo meet with the head of the Heylin forces at a neutral location in a tacit parlay in order to plan a  _tea party_ , of all things. Specifically, a tea ceremony that both the Heylin and Xiaolin forces participated in to symbolize the balance between good and evil, but as far as Raimundo was concerned, planning the thing was something he'd rather do without.

Which was why Raimundo was currently getting sushi with none other than Chase Young in the middle of Switzerland. The Shoku Warrior was sitting glumly at the table, resting one elbow on the tabletop and rest chin on his hand while poking idly at the plate of sushi before him with his chopsticks. "Why do I got to eat this, anyway?" he grumbled. "I hate fish."

Chase Young gave him a stern look over his steaming cup of green tea. "Because I'm paying for it," he said. "Eat your seaweed, at least - it's good for you."

"Yes,  _Mom_."


	13. not quite one per customer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Omi spots rai getting his second hug in one day from kimiko and goes to confront them about how it is unfair due to her " one per customer " rule._ (Submitted by **anonymous** on tumblr.)

Under normal circumstances, Omi normally wouldn't have thought much of it - it was just his two of his closest friends, Kimiko and Raimundo, standing behind the meditation temple, hugging. Yes, the shadow cast by the temple in the later afternoon sun obscured their upper bodies and faces, and Omi had to wonder why they were engaging in such innocuous forms of affection in such an out of the way location, but Omi didn't think anything of it until a sudden thought crossed his mind.

Kimiko had already hugged Raimundo that day.

Omi had learned early on that Kimiko was very particular about her "one per customer" rule when it came to hugging. It had been a painful lesson, but one that he'd come to respect - Kimiko, after all, was not a hugging machine, and though he rather enjoyed receiving girl-hugs, he would not press her for more. But the fact that Raimundo seemed to be the apparent exception to the rule did pique his curiosity, however, as well as a bit of his ire.

And so he made his way toward the two monks hiding in the shadow of the temple. "Hello, my friends!" he called out to them. "What are you doing here, on such a lovely day as this?"

At the sound of his voice, the two separated rather quickly - so fast, in fact, that Raimundo lost his balance and fell, while Kimiko slammed her back against the temple wall.

"O-omi!" Kimiko said as she rubbed her hip ruefully. "What are you doing here?" She seemed tense and uncertain, and even Raimundo looked hesitant as he stood up and brushed the dirt from his pants.

"I took advantage of this lovely weather and went on a walk to clear my head," Omi told her. "But what about you two?"

Raimundo swallowed uncomfortably. "What  _about_ us?" he asked.

Omi frowned. "Why were you two hugging? Kimiko said she only gives one hug per person per day!"

"That's a lot of 'pers', little guy," Raimundo said. "Did Katnappe's weird obsession rub off on you or something?"

Omi ignored the question. " _Why were you two hugging?_ "

Kimiko seemed a bit flustered. "Um. We were… cold?"

"But today is such a beautiful day!" Omi said. "And you're the Dragon of Fire - how could you be cold?"

She bit her lip. "Um, I was - uh…"

Raimundo pointed to himself. "She was helping _me_ warm up." He held up his hands. "Bad circulation, you know? Being in the mountains doesn't help much, either."

Omi pondered this explanation for a moment. Then he smiled. "That makes sense," he said. He looked at Kimiko. "If I get that cold, will you help me warm up?"

"Um. Sure, Omi. I guess."

"Thank you, Kimiko." His smile grew wider. "And now, friends, if you will excuse me, I will be on my way." He looked to Raimundo, then. "I hope Kimiko has helped you to warm up sufficiently, Raimundo."

The two of them blushed at the comment, and Raimundo coughed awkwardly into his friend. "Uh, yeah. Now run along, Omi - we'll see you later."

"Very well," Omi said. "Goodbye, my friends!" And with that, he went on his way.

Raimundo and Kimiko watched him for a while longer after he left.

"I can't believe he  _bought_  it," Kimiko said.

"Me neither," he replied. "Little dude's got instincts like a tiger, but he's still got a lot to learn."

She looked up at him. "I'm not going to be the one to tell him about the birds and the bees, Rai."

He shrugged. "Well," he said, "there's always Dojo."

 


	14. cabin-mates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _CAN I GIVE YOU ANOTHER CHAI PROMPT BECAUSE THE FIRST ONE WAS SO GREAT it doesn't have to be shippy it can just be them interacting. the prompt iiiiiiis they have to be roommates for some reason idk why. oo_ (Submitted by **secretelaborateplan** on tumblr.)

Raimundo rather hated the way the band parents organized things for band camp, sometimes. When the band camp rooming information had come around, he, Clay, and Omi had specifically asked to be put into the same cabin. Of course, with his luck, their request form had been misplaced (Raimundo was sure Dojo had something to do with it, personally), and while Omi and Clay were, at least, put into the same cabin - along with Jack, whom, Raimundo had to admit, really wasn't  _that_  bad - Raimundo was stuck with none other than the band's  _other_  self-professed rebel and bad boy, Chase Young.

Upon finding out their cabin assignments, Kimiko had laughed. "Make sure you don't do anything you regret, Rai," she'd teased. "Whatever happens at band camp  _stays_  at band camp."

"Yeah, well, just make sure Ashley doesn't go all  _American Pie_  on you," he'd shot back.

"Personally, I'm more worried about Wuya," was Kimiko's reply as she crossed her arms over chest. "But you're rooming with Chase - you need all the luck you can get."

And luck, indeed, was something he needed, although it seemed as if it never  _was_  on his side after all. Almost immediately after the buses dropped them off at the little remote camp in the middle ofnowhere, and each of them had been given their nametags and cabin assignment, Jack was following Clay and Omi to their cabin, while Wuya and Ashley dragged Kimiko to theirs, and with Chase nowhere to be found, Raimundo adjusted his backpack, got a better grip on the handle of his saxophone's case, and trudged on alone toward cabin number four.

Chase was already there when Raimundo opened the door, organizing his belongings neatly by one of the two bunk beds in the modest cabin. He fixed Raimundo with an expressionless stare when the underclassman entered. "Since there are only two of us here," he began, "and neither of us intended on rooming with the other, I'm assuming you don't mind if each of us gets our own bunk."

Raimundo made a noncommittal sound and set the case on the floor beside the other bunk before shrugging off his backpack. "Works for me, dude." He sat on the lower bunk and watched Chase as he continued to unpack; the older boy had tied his long hair back - something Raimundo had only seen him do while dealing with the sweltering heat that only came with band camp season - and he saw what looked like the head of a dragon peeking above the collar of Chase's black T-shirt. Apparently, the section leader of the drumline had gotten himself another tattoo over the summer. "Anything else you wanted to add?"

"Just stay out of my way, Pedrosa, and I'll stay out of yours."

"Works for me," Raimundo replied as he stood and stretched his arms above his head before turning to his own belongings to begin unpacking. He was still uncertain as to what rooming with Chase would bring, but Raimundo could already see that this week was shaping up to be a very, very long one indeed.


	15. in which jack goes on a date kind of

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _JACKIM WHERE HE TRIES TO SEDUCE CLONEBOT THINKING ITS ACTUALLY KIMIKO_ (Submitted by **epiphany-on-toast** on tumblr.)

It was a very simple fact: Jack rather liked Kimiko. The concept was not that hard to grasp. She was cute, she was kind of awesome - when she wasn't trying to burn him to a crisp, at least - and was a rather smart dresser. With all these in mind, it was only natural that Jack would have developed a crush on her.

It soon became apparent, however, that he wasn't the only one who was interested in her. Raimundo was his most obvious rival for Kimiko's affections, of course, but Jack was certain that even Omi and Clay were at least somewhat sweet on her, too - and even though he didn't think the Dragons of Water and Earth were that stiff of competition, all three monks still had the advantage of living with Kimiko and being around her every day.

Which made Jack the underdog in the situation. Sure, he could try and woo Kimiko with poems written in binary code and personalized robots, but he knew that wouldn't be enough to charm her - particularly when she already considered him a creepy little mama's boy.

Something he most certainly was  _not_ ; Jack Spicer, Evil Boy Genius, was certainly not creepy in the least.

But he still needed to figure out a way to make her like him. He thought on it for a long time, until the simple answer became painfully obvious:  _Jack would ask Kimiko out on a date_. He'd have to come up with an innovative way to do it, though; it wouldn't do if Wuya or Chase or any of the other monks became aware of his plans.

Jack decided that when the next Shen Gong Wu revealed itself, he would finally ask her. Not face-to-face, of course; she would probably punch him if he did, and it wasn't a humiliation he was willing to experience. He'd have to do something unexpected and creative to at least pique her interest, first, before asking Kimiko out on a date.

The perfect idea finally came to him, and Jack locked himself in his lab in order to better carry out phase one of his plan. He removed his old Chameleonbot from where he'd stored it in his parents' toolshed and modified it so that it took on the appearance of a small pink kitten - it was common knowledge, after all, that no girl could say no to anything that adorable. When the modifications were complete, he recorded a message of himself asking if she would mind joining him for dinner one day; he'd even put on one of the formal suits his parents had bought for him when recording it to show how serious he really was. He then wrote a program and inserted it into the Chameleonbot, which would allow Kimiko to answer him immediately. The final touch was the red rose he placed in the robot's mouth - no girl could say no to a beautiful flower. (At least, it worked on Mom whenever Dad brought home a bouquet of roses after they'd been fighting.)

Perhaps it  _was_  a bit middle school or him to ask her that way, but Jack was still proud of himself for coming up with that bit of genius. With his preparations now complete, it was only a matter of time before he could really put his plan into action.

When the new Shen Gong Wu revealed itself, he was ready. With the modified Chameleonbot safely packed away in one of the many compartments of his helipack, Jack Spicer set off - not to win the new Wu (though it would have been pretty sweet if he did), but to ask a girl on a date for the first time in his life.

In the end, Jack ended up facing Clay in a Showdown over the Wu in question: the Eagle's Claw, which allowed its user to slash through and damage any material - even something as hard as diamond.

Jack ended up losing the showdown, although he wasn't as upset about it as he normally would have been. Even though it would have been a great Wu to have, Jack had accomplished the task he'd set out to do: he'd managed to slip the Chameleon-cat-bot into Kimiko's backpack before the start of the showdown, and now it was only a matter of time before she'd give him her response.

And what a response it was:  _Yes_.

The date was scheduled for the following evening, and that day, Jack put all of his effort into preparing for it. She would arrive at his home by seven, and he would treat her to a lovely candlelit dinner of pizza and soda out on the veranda of his parents' mansion. He bathed thoroughly, taking care to wash the scent of grease and oil and the burning smell the soldering iron gave him off of him, made sure to shave the seven hairs on his chin (Kimiko didn't seem like the type who'd really appreciate facial hair), and put on the most elegant of his suits - a pinstriped three-piece affair, complete with an imported red silk tie. He even wore some of his dad's cologne.

Jack had to admit, he cleaned up rather nice.

While he was getting dressed, the Jackbots cleaned the house until every surface sparkled and the floors were spotless. Even the lawn and gardens seemed more pristine. When all was done, Jack surveyed his work proudly, and silently said a silent prayer thanking whatever deity was listening for making his parents go on that month-long vacation to the Bahamas without him.

At precisely seven-oh-one in the evening, the doorbell rang, and Jack was there to greet his guest when the Butlerbot opened it.

"Kimiko," Jack said with a suave grin. "So glad you could make it."

She narrowed her eyes. "Rai and Clay went home to visit their families for the weekend, Omi's gone to Master Monk Guan's temple, Keiko's sick, and Chucky Choo came to visit Dojo. I'm only here because my only other option for the evening is sorting through the old scrolls in the library with Master Fung, and I don't want to be sneezing every ten seconds because of the dust."

"But you still came," Jack replied. "That's gotta mean something."

She put a hand on her hip. "Whatever. Can we get going?"

"Right this way, milady." He gave her a flourishing bow before offering her his arm. With a sigh she took it, and he lead her through the parlor and into the living room before offering her a seat on one of the white leather couches.

"Dinner should be ready in half an hour," he told her as he took a remote from its position on the coffee table and pushed a button. The lights dimmed a bit, and the lounge music from his father's collection began to play through the speakers of the sound system. "Can I interest you in anything until then?"

Kimiko looked around. "Well," she said, "you get points for trying, I'll give you that."

He grinned. "Sweet."

They ended up sitting in the living room and talking about various video games and the latest electronic gadgets before the Butlerbot came in to inform them that dinner was ready. After thanking the robot, Jack stood and offered Kimiko his arm again. When she took it this time, he thought she didn't seem quite so annoyed - it was definitely an improvement.

He led her out to the veranda, where a small outdoor dining table and set stood waiting for them. The Jackbots had outdone themselves with the decoration and the atmosphere, and Jack made a mental note to make a few more Musicbots in the future to join the lone one playing the violin in the corner.

Kimiko seemed a bit surprised at the display. "You really went all-out, huh?" she asked as she sat at the table.

"Give me some credit - I'm new at this sort of thing."

"Fine," she said. And then she smiled at him.

That was when everything started to go wrong.

"I, uh, like your dress," Jack told her as the Butlerbot brought out the pizza and soda.

She looked down at her dress, as if she didn't know what she was wearing. "Oh. Thanks." The Butlerbot set down the steaming pizza, and Kimiko reached for it to serve herself.

"Here, I got it," Jack said. He stood up too quickly and ended up bumping into the table - the entire pizza spilled onto Kimiko's lap in a mess of cheese, sauce, and pepperoni. He stared at her, mouth agape. "I am so sorry, Kimiko - here, hang on a sec," he said to her, pressing a button on his watch.

"Jack…"

"Butlerbot, time for a clean-up job," he said pointing at Kimiko. A nozzle appeared in the middle of the Butlerbot's chest, and before Jack could remember that the clean-up feature of the robot still malfunctioned more often than it worked properly, a jet of water doused Kimiko from head to toe.

Jack looked warily at Kimiko. She looked shocked, and rightly so. Soon, she began to shake violently, and smoke started to pour from her ears and mouth - a sure sign that the Dragon of Fire would soon unleash the full force of her fury upon him.

"Look, Kimiko, I'm sorry but  _please don't hurt me -_!"

Her shaking became for violent as sparks began to fly until, all of a moment, her head popped off, and Kimiko exploded in a burst of heat, smoke, and engine grease.

When the smoke cleared, Jack stared dully at the singed remains of his Chameleonbot, painfully aware that he would soon need to figure out a way to explain to his parents why his best suit was burnt and covered with cheese and pizza sauce.

He sighed and stood up. "Jackbots," he said wearily, "take care of this, please. I'm going to take another bath."


	16. wrong sort of message

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _More prompts huh? Okay :3 ClayKim: Clay slowly realizing his feelings for Kimiko and tries to hide it :)_ (Submitted by **scoobiidoosofi3** on tumblr.)

"Hey, Clay," Kimiko asked, "think you could do me a favor?" She looked up at him with earnest blue eyes, and he felt the tips of his ears and the back of his neck grow warm. His stomach, meanwhile, decided to keep busy by continuously twisting itself into knots.

"Not a problem, little lady," he replied as nonchalantly as he could. "What can I do for you?"

She pointed to a shelf just above his head. "There's a box up there - could you just grab it for me?"

Clay tipped his hat at her. "Sure thing, Kimiko," he said as he turned around, grateful for an opportunity to attempt to hide the rising flush. He reached up, and his hand came into contact with something angular and wrapped in paper. He took it from the shelf and held it out to her; it was a decently-sized boxed wrapped in simple brown paper. "This it?"

"Yeah," Kimiko replied. "It's Rai's birthday present - I hid it up there for safe keeping."

He tried to not let his smile fall at the mention of the Brazilian boy. "Well, that was mighty nice of you to get him something special, Kim," he said.

She smiled at him. "Thanks, Clay," she said as she wrapped one arm around his waist and hugged him as best as she could. Then she pulled away. "Your birthday's coming up soon too, isn't it?"

Clay put his hands in his pockets and gave her a small smile. "Don't worry about getting me anything," he told her. "Just celebrating it with you is enough of a present for me." Silently, he prayed that she understood what he was trying to tell her.

The message, unfortunately, seemed ignored. "Of course we'll celebrate with you, Clay! What kind of friends would we be if we weren't there for you?"

It stung a bit, the way she didn't seem to notice what he was trying to imply, but he let it go like water off a duck's back. "That's all I need, Kim," Clay replied, tipping his hat down further so that it obscured his face.

Kimiko peered up at him, then. "Are you feeling okay, Clay?" She narrowed her eyes a bit. "Your face is kind of red - are you sick?"

"No, no, I'm alright," Clay replied, taken aback by her question. "I must've... uh, eaten something weird at lunch." He cleared his throat. "Now, why don't you go find Rai? I'll be there in a minute - just give me a second to get some water."

She didn't seem all too convinced by his answer, but she stepped away regardless. "Well, alright," she told him. "But let me know if you feel worse, okay?"

"Will do, ma'am," he assured her with a smile. Only then did Kimiko turn away from him and leave, and when she was finally out of sight, Clay couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.

Gee, was she sweet.


	17. strolling in the dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _heylin raimundo visiting the monks in their cells during Wuya's reign?_ (Submitted by **anonymous** on tumblr.)

It's the middle of the night, and Raimundo can't sleep. He tosses, and he turns on the large, soft mattress, but slumber continues to elude him, and so he sits up and tosses the blankets away before climbing down from the bed. Raimundo pauses only once, to set Ninja Fred gently on the pile of blankets and sheets upon the bed, before he leaves the ornate chambers Wuya has made for him, and his feet follow the familiar path leading down, down, down.

They're exactly where he'd left them, just as Raimundo knew they'd be, although he can't help but think that he'd hoped they'd somehow figured out a way to escape: Kimiko, Clay, and Dojo are discussing something amongst themselves - a plan to escape, perhaps - and Jack is trying to talk to them, trying to convince them to help save him, too. The sight of them causes something ugly and dark to tremble inside of Raimundo (is it pity? is it guilt?) and then he leaves, as silently as he'd arrived.


	18. anger management

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _kimiko tries her hand at painting, until Rai jokingly told her to 'paint him lik y one of her french men' and she acciderntally lightrs her paintbrush on fire_ (Submitted by **epiphany-on-toast** at tumblr.)

If there was one thing Kimiko Tohomiko was known for - aside from her impeccable taste in clothing, of course - it was her anger management skills.

That was not to say there was a distinct lack thereof of these aforementioned skills; on the contrary, Kimiko was very dedicated to learning how to keep her emotions in check so that they would not overwhelm and consume her. This was particularly true when her role as the Dragon of Fire was made known to her - because her powers as a Dragon were so closely linked to her mental and emotional state of mind, loosing control of the latter meant that she was at distinct disadvantage when attempting to use the former. And so Kimiko not only doubled or tripled or even quadrupled her efforts at keeping her anger in check, but in fact  _quintupled_  her efforts to do so.

For a time, it helped: meditating at the temple had its obvious benefits, as did many of the breathing exercises and focusing techniques Master Fung taught her and the other monks. When Kimiko was younger, her grandmother had enrolled her in tea ceremony classes, and years later, Kimiko found that making a fresh pot of tea was something that could calm her almost instantly. Her training in ballet also helped her alleviate her anger, as did tinkering around with her various electronic gadgets.

Unfortunately, however, Kimiko could not always sit down and meditate, or make tea, or dance, or fiddle around with some new device whenever she could feel the restraints on her temple gradually beginning to fray, and so decided that she would have to learn other ways of alleviating anger. Reading helped, somewhat, but only in certain cases. Writing her thoughts down in a journal only made the situation worse - Kimiko remembered everything in vivid detail whenever she wrote it down, and that only served to make her angrier, and as such was all the explanation she needed whenever she had to tell someone exactly why she'd burned another journal to ash for the fourth time this week.

Her next attempt was painting. Kimiko had stationed herself in the temple courtyard with a new easel and a fresh palette of water colors, determined to capture the delicate beauty of the cherry trees in full bloom on canvas. Or, at least, she was going to try.

Sketching the tree on the canvas was simple enough (she credited it to her many years of coming up with new outfits with Keiko and their other friends in Japan), but Kimiko was pleasantly surprised to learn that painting came surprisingly easy to her as a remarkably good likeness of the tree began to take form on the canvas.

It was then that Trouble decided to intervene, however, in the form of a roughish young man named Raimundo Pedrosa. The old boy had been passing the time away by idly kicking his soccer ball around the temple grounds, and as he rounded the corner bouncing the black-and-white ball from one knee to the other, he was astounded to see Kimiko, of all people,  _painting_. This naturally piqued his curiosity, and so he caught the soccer ball with both hands mid-bounce, rested it against his hip, and jogged toward her.

"Hey, Kim," he said as he came to a stop beside her. "What's up?"

She didn't look at him. "I'm busy, Rai. Go away."

Raimundo's natural response was, of course, to smirk. "What'cha painting?"

Kimiko gritted her teeth, mentally congratulating herself for not acknowledging him with a look and instead focusing on her painting. "I'm painting a portrait of Cyclop's hairy back - what do you think I'm painting?" She had to admit, though, that she  _could_  feel her patience beginning to grow thin.  _Focus, Kimiko. Focus._

He grinned and brought his face down to hers. "Need a model?" he whispered in her ear, voice decidedly smug as he raised his eyebrows suggestively. "I'm a busy man, but I'm sure I could squeeze you in somehow."

"Nah - I think I'm good," she replied through gritted teeth. "Thanks for the offer, though." Kimiko could feel the paintbrush begin to splinter in her hand.

And that's when Raimundo finally did it. He pulled away from her slightly, but rested his hand on her shoulder. "I mean it, Kim," he told her. "I mean, you could even paint me 'like one of your French men', and I - "

He never got a chance to finish the sentence; the paintbrush burst into flames, and a very angry Kimiko ended up with one of her legs through the canvas as she leapt to her feet to allow her to better dispose of Raimundo without any witnesses being present. All she ended up with, however, was the burnt remains of the brush, a ruined canvas, and a scrape along her knee from where she'd fallen after kicking the easel in her rage.

Somehow, though, Raimundo had managed to escape the damage, and was now observing her from a few feet away while simultaneously bouncing the soccer ball on his head. "Oh," he said. "Are we going to work in charcoal next? Make sure you get my good side!"

In the end, it appeared that most artistic pursuits didn't really help Kimiko's anger issues in the slightest.

 


	19. raimundo's taste in beachwear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Kimiko makes raimundo go bikini shopping with her because she "needs a guys opinion"_ (Submitted by **anonymous** on tumblr.)

Raimundo couldn't figure out why  _he_  had to go to the mall with Kimiko when she'd declared her need for a new swim suit. Omi and Clay surely could have gone with her - or, at the very least, kept him company as he waited for Kimiko to come out of the dressing room. Being the only guy in  _this_  section of the department store was a bit mortifying, to say the least.

...then again, Raimundo thought as one girl came out of her stall for her friend's opinion of the purple bikini she was trying on, maybe it wasn't  _so_  bad. He was jerked out of his thoughts when a familiar voice called his name, and he turned his head to address the speaker.

For a moment, Raimundo found that he couldn't speak, and so he just opted for staring at Kimiko as she stood at the door to her changing stall. When a full minute had passed, and Raimundo still hadn't said anything, Kimiko flushed uncomfortably. "Is it really that bad?" she asked, looking down at the jade green bikini she was wearing. "I knew this wasn't my color - I should've gone with the red one."

Now it was Raimundo's turn to flush as the mental image of Kimiko in a  _Bay Watch_ -esque swimsuit invaded his thoughts. It was a rather nice mental image, too. "No, no," he said, his voice oddly strained. "This looks good. I like it."

"Really?" She grinned. "Good - I've got a few other ones back here I want your opinion on, so just wait there." Kimiko disappeared back into the stall, and Raimundo stared at the spot she'd been moments before until he looked away, blushing faintly.

"Yeah, I'll wait," he said to no one in particular as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Take your time."


	20. the place fire people go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Zuko and Kimiko bondin over being... Uh, fire people?_ (Submitted by **anonymous** on tumblr.)

The rain fell softly against the glass window panes that night, not quite a staccato, but still just as even and steady. She sat near the roaring fire of the tea house's main room - it had never gone out once since the place had first been built, the owner's granddaughter had told her, once - and stared into the flames as her finger lightly traced the edge of her mug, lost in thought.

It was then that the door to the tea house opened, the sound of the old hinges squealing in protest rising above that of the rain outside. She turned her head and looked at the newcomer: a tall figure wearing a thick, dark cloak, head covered by a hood and face hidden in shadow. The only thing she could discern about the newcomer was his gender - if their gait was anything to go by, the stranger was most certainly a man.

Her suspicions were confirmed when the newcomer made their way to the counter, and the tenor of a young man's voice carried through the empty room and to her ears. "Just green tea - jasmine, if you have it today."

She smiled down at her own mug before getting out of her chair and making her way to the counter as well; she needed a refill, anyway. "You've got good taste; the jasmine here is some of the best I've ever had," she told the newcomer. She gestured to her mug. "Chamomile for me, Mars."

The girl behind the counter rolled her eyes and tucked a few wayward strands of dark hair behind her ear with a frown. "Are you ever going to stop with that dumb nickname, Kimiko?" She took the empty mug.

"Fine,  _Rei_ ," Kimiko replied. "Could I get some honey and lemon with that, by the way?"

Rei rolled her eyes again, but this time a small smile replaced the frown. "Just the way your father makes it, right?"

"You actually add things to your tea?" The newcomer turned toward Kimiko; his hood was still up, and she still couldn't see his eyes, but his lips were pressed into a thin, disapproving line.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You know it's rude to have your hood up when getting food in nice places, right?"

"Tea isn't food," the stranger shot back, but he complied and pulled down his hood.

Kimiko fought the urge to gasp; a large burn covered the man's face, covering his left eye and ear completely. She averted her eyes quickly, but the the man still noticed.

"I know you saw it," he told her as he pointed to the scar. "If you're here, of all places, then you already know how destructive fire can be."

From where she was bustling around behind the counter, Rei replied, "But it can help rebuild things, too—how's the reconstruction going, Mister Fire Lord Zuko?"

The stranger - Zuko - shrugged and sighed. "As well as it could be, I guess. You can't fix a century's worth of damage that quickly, you know." He paused and looked around. "I was hoping Mustang would be in tonight, actually—I'm sure he knows a thing or two about rebuilding countries."

Kimiko scoffed. "You just missed him - he left just before you got here. And good thing, too." She made a face. "I've had it up to here with his stupid flirting. The next time he starts hitting on me, I'm going to show him how much things can burn."

Zuko looked at her strangely. "Have we met before?" he asked.

Kimiko glared at him. "What? Now  _you're_  going to put the moves on me?" She scoffed. "And I thought Jack was bad enough."

"No, no," Zuko replied. "It's just that you remind me of someone." Then he frowned. "Besides, I have a girlfriend."

"Doesn't stop Mustang."

The clatter of a tray being set on the countertop caught their attention, and the two looked at a very irate looking Rei. "Stop acting like brats," she said, "or I'm going to call Natsu over and ask him to make you stop—he's been itching for a fight all day, and I know he won't say no."

Zuko scowled at her and took his cup from the tray. "You're worse than Uchiha," he said before taking a sip.

"Or Calcifer," Kimiko agreed.

From across the room, the fire in the hearth roared up in protest. "I  _heard_  that!"


	21. that time she gave him a black eye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _kimiko asks rai to come with her shopping (which he agrees to), until she has to make a stop in the bra section_ (Submitted by **anonymous** on tumblr.)

All things considered, shopping with Kimiko wasn't as bad as he'd originally thought - she'd told Raimundo that she'd go to whatever stores he wanted, so long as he'd keep her company, and so far, she'd kept her word. Granted, most of the places he wanted to go were ones she frequented as well (with the exception of the sport's equipment store, but hey - you never knew when you'd need an extra soccer ball), but for the most part, their excursion went without a hitch.

Until they were preparing to leave and Kimiko realized there was something left on her list that she still had to get.

"It won't take too long, Rai, I promise," she said as she led him through the wall.

He walked behind her casually, one hand stuffed in his pocket and the other holding the plastic bags containing his own purchases as he idly watched the people around him. "I don't mind, really," he assured her. "Where do you need to go?"

She stopped abruptly in front of a store. "Right here."

Raimundo looked at the storefront.  _Victoria's Secret_. "...really, Kim?"

Kimiko glared at him and delivered a swift punch to his arm even as a blush appeared on her cheeks. "Hey, I  _am_  a girl, you know. And girls need...  _things_."

"Alright, alright," he said. He bit back a response about her needing to somehow replace her old training bras - that would've been mean to say, even for him - and held his hands up in an attempt to placate her. "So, do you want me to go in with you or what?"

She frowned. "I'm a big girl, Rai," Kimiko told him. "I can go by myself."

"Fine," he replied. "I'll be in the food court." Then he smirked. "And, uh, Kimiko?"

"What now?"

Raimundo raised an eyebrow suggestively. "Make sure you pick out some nice ones - I'm not a huge fan of those little bows, myself, but you can never go wrong with black lace. It's a fact."

_That_  earned him a powerful kick to the face that left him with a black eye that Omi and Dojo wouldn't stop poking for a week.


	22. cowboy doing yoga

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Clay tries his hand at yoga. What? Cowboys can't do yoga?_ (Submitted by **anonymous** on tumblr.)

Deep breath, hands clasped together in front of the chest. Inhale, now, and raise the arms above the head, and lean back until the entire body forms a clean, even arc. Exhale, and bring the arms forward, bending the body at the hips and keeping the legs straight until the palms lay flat on the floor; feel the muscles stretch, hold it.

Now extend the right leg back, and feel the stretching there as the head is tilted toward the warm morning light. Inhale again, and this time extend the left leg so that the body takes a pose similar to that of an inclined plane. The hips go up, now, and the head goes down, until the body's alignment looks like that of a mountain or hill.

After that, the upper body comes to the floor, while the lower back and hips are still raised. From there, arch back so that the spine is but one smooth curve. Hold it, and then repeat the steps in reverse, remembering that breathing is the key, until once gain the palms are pressed together in front of the chest, and the gentle heat of the sun warms the face and loosened muscles.

But, then - yes, there it was again. "I can hear y'all breathing, you know."

The sound of footsteps approaching, three distinct sets. "Man, Clay. What're you doing?"

"Surya Namaskaram." Inhale, exhale. Calm. Relaxed. "What? Cowboys can't do yoga?"


	23. impromptu sleepovers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _xiaolin sleepover gets crashed by jack, then chase & wuya_ (Submitted by **epiphany-on-toast** on tumblr.)

To be fair, every night could technically be considered a sleepover for the four young Xiaolin monks. They all slept in what more less constituted as the same room, after all, although they were at least each allowed their own separate cubicles.

But sleepovers meant blanket forts and late nights playing games and eating junk food and watching movies and telling stories and pointedly ignoring the basic human need for sleep. This, of course, was something that did not happen too often, but when Master Fung allowed them to prepare for one, the four young monks very much looked forward to it.

It was with great excitement, then, that the monks pooled their supplies together to create a rather magnificent blanket fort in the common area of their shared living space, a feat headed by Raimundo. One of Kimiko's projectors, hooked up to her laptop, provided the video entertainment for the night, while Clay prepared the popcorn, ordered the pizza, and gathered the other foodstuffs for the evening. Omi, meanwhile, went through his mental archives to find a story suitable for the evening's activities - surely, there was at least one account of his skill and expertise he had not yet told his friends.

The evening progressed as planned, and soon enough the four monks were gathered in the close quarters provided by Raimundo's blanket fort. They had already watched one movie, an animated film Kimiko had chosen about a girl and a dragon boy (whom Omi thought sounded remarkably similar to Chase Young, except good instead of evil) that left all four of them feeling almost wistfully happy by the end of it and were deciding what to do next when Master Fung and Dojo came in to check on them.

Just as Raimundo was about to tell them that they were old enough to forgo the need for adult supervision, however, Master Fung held up a hand in a request for silence. "It seems we have a guest," he said calmy before stepping to the side, and from the doorway, a very sheepish looking Jack Spicer, wearing a pair of red flannel pajamas and fuzzy black slippers, waved awkwardly at the monks peering at him from the entryway of the blanket fort.

"What's Jack Spicer doing here, Master Fung?" Clay asked as Kimiko scrambled back into the fort to find her robe and tie it more securely about her.

It was Jack himself who answered. "Power outage," the boy genius replied. "My parents aren't home, and I need somewhere to stay for the night until the power company can come by and fix the generator in the morning."

"Couldn't you just fix it yourself?" Raimundo asked. "Or just get your power from somewhere else?"

Jack frowned. "Just because I'm  _evil_  doesn't mean I'd do anything  _illegal_ ," he replied. "I have standards, you know."

"Jack Spicer has promised to leave first thing in the morning," Master Fung said. "Additionally, due to circumstances being what they are, the other monks and I have extracted from him a promise to not make any attempt to steal the Shen Gong Wu."

"Extracted?" Omi looked confused.

The pale boy shuddered. "Painfully."

"You really don't want to know," Dojo said.

"I really didn't want to ask," Kimiko said from inside the fort. "Too much information."

Raimundo was not convinced. "Yeah, but it isn't like promising has stopped him before."

"Says the guy with the teddy bear," Jack retorted. He sighed, ignoring Raimundo angrily defending Ninja Fred's status as a good luck charm. "Look, I'm desperate, here. It was either coming here and risk getting beaten to pulp immediately, or going to stay with Chase and Wuya and be turned into a giant cat toy before getting beaten to a pulp. Either way, the odds really aren't in my favor."

"Oh, boo-hoo," Kimiko said as she emerged from the blanket fort and stood beside Raimundo, followed shortly thereafter by Clay. "I'm so convinced."

Omi looked up at his friends. "If Master Fung brought him here, then I am sure it is alright."

The other three monks looked between themselves before Clay finally sighed in defeat. "Fine. You can stay."

"Seriously?" Jack's face lit up instantly. "Awesome! This is going to be great - I've never actually been to a legit sleepover, before."

Master Fung took his leave, then, and Raimundo, Clay, and Kimiko exchanged a look amongst themselves before following Jack and Omi into the blanket fort, except now the expression was one disturbed apprehension. It turned out, however, that their uncertainty was actually unnecessary: with the exception of the half-hour immediately following Jack Spicer's arrival (which was just  _awkward_ ), the sleepover itself passed by without so much as a hiccup. A game of spoons began, and a shaky alliance between Raimundo and Jack was established when the two discovered that they were completely  _dominating_  Omi and Clay's team; Kimiko, meanwhile, was looking for another movie for them to watch on her laptop, debating whether it would be better to watch a scary movie or one with more adventure.

The five of them ended up opting for more games, however, after the sixth or seventh round of spoons. Jack insisted on truth-or-dare, in honor of sleepover tradition, and the monks indulged him almost begrudgingly. It soon became apparent that the decision had been a good one, particularly after the game devolved into a rousing spectacle of dare-or-dare. Clay was in the middle of a surprisingly good impression of Katnappe when the group heard footsteps approaching once again.

"I'll answer it, friends," Omi said as he ducked out of the fort. "Hello, Master Fung! What may I - _Chase Young_!"

At the mention of the Heylin warlord's name, Clay paused mid-purr and glared at Jack, while Kimiko grabbed the redhead by the shirtfront. "What is Chase Young doing here?" she hissed.

"Don't look at me! I didn't call him!"

Kimiko rolled her eyes and let go before brushing past Jack to follow Raimundo out of the fort, with Clay going shortly thereafter and Jack scrambling after the three of them.

Sure enough, there stood Chase Young, and Wuya, too, though something was off about them; the former wasn't wearing his customary spiked armor and was instead wearing a pair of deep green silk pajams, and the latter had exchanged her usual attire for what looked like a loose pair of basketball shorts and a large T-shirt.

"What?" the witch said when she caught sight of the look Kimiko was giving her. "These are wonderfully comfortable garments for sleep, and you know it - they're perhaps the only decent advancement made in fashion in the last fifteen hundred years."

"Can it, hag," Raimundo said. He looked at Chase. "What do you want?"

Chase Young remained impassive. "Be at peace, Warrior," he said. "We're not here under the pretense of evil—we simply need a place to stay for the night."

"Your lair is like an emperor's palace," Clay said. "Why would you need a place to sleep?"

"Have you ever tried sleeping in a partially active volcano, Dragon of Earth?" Chase narrowed his eyes. "The shifting of the rocks isn't so bad, but the stench from the volcano's fumes are nothing if not  _unbearable_."


	24. laundry shenanigans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _After the vs adventure... Rai is doing laundry and just so happens to find a black lace bra..._ (Submitted by **anonymous** on tumblr.)

For Raimundo, Thursday was always laundry day. It was just the way it always worked out - Omi's was Monday, Clay got Tuesday, Kimiko had Wednesday, and Raimundo ended up with Thursday. It was an arrangement that just worked for the four of them, and it was one that they weren't planning on changing any time soon.

So after he'd washed his dirty clothes and hung them up to dry (which had been an accomplishment in and of itself when he'd first arrived at the temple - it didn't have a washing machine and dryer, after all, though Kimiko had talked about getting one installed soon - though he supposed going to the nearest laundromat was also an option) Raimundo had decided to take a nap until his clothes had properly dried in the afternoon sunlight. When they had dried sufficiently, Raimundo had gone out and gathered all of his clothes into his hamper before taking them back to his little cubicle in the room he shared with the other three monks to fold and properly put away.

Raimundo had folded his sixth shirt and was reaching into the hamper when something that soft and silky brushed against his fingers - it certainly didn't feel like any of the clothes he owned, and so curiosity compelled him to remove it from the hamper to properly examine it.

Part of him rather wished he hadn't, for there in his hand was a lacy black bra. Another part of him wondered how it had gotten in his laundry in the first place - there was no question who the garment belonged to, after all, but Kimiko had done all of her laundry yesterday. And still another part of him couldn't help but feel a bit proud that she'd taken his suggestion to heart after their outing the mall.

But most of him - the part that was mostly survival instincts - was screaming at him, telling him to get rid of the thing before anyone saw and accused him of doing anything unscrupulous. Or, if Kimiko was the one who found him, something decidedly  _worse_.

Which was why, when Kimiko came by sometime later, blushing and strangely fidgety (though perhaps understandably so, in hindsight) to ask if he'd seen the black lace bra in question, he most certainly did not tell her that it was currently stuffed at the bottom of his underwear drawer.

He told her that Dojo had it, instead.


	25. tell-tale lines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _While lounging on his mat one day, raimundo spots the outline of a shadow coming from the curtain that hides the room next to his, and realizes they should soon double up on the drapes surrounding kimikos room._ (Submitted by **anonymous** on tumblr.)

He really should  _not_  have watching - he shouldn't have been there at all, really, but when the urge to take a quick snooze hit, well, what could you do?

She couldn't have known that, though. In fact, she probably hadn't even realized he was there when she went to her own cubicle, pulled up the drapes surrounding it, and proceeded to change out of her dirty, sweat-stained robes into a set of fresh clean ones.

Now that he was awake, though, the faint outline of her form against the curtains told him that that was exactly what she was doing, and he felt his face heat up immediately even as the guilt began to pool heavily in his belly.

So he did what anyone in his position would do: he ran, and locked himself in the meditation temple for the rest of the day.


	26. aged like a fine wine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _elderly!omi and elderly!kimiko reminisce on their younger days._ (Submitted by **anonymous** on tumblr.)

The bottle sat untouched between them as they sat in companionable silence. She didn't know why they'd brought it out in the first place - the most she had these days was a cup of sake before bed if she couldn't fall asleep, and he only drank huangjiu, and only very rarely, at that. But the bottle still remained on the table, and she reached for it and took it in her hands.

"Would you like a glass?" she asked softly, despite knowing what his response would be.

As predicted, he shook his head. "No thank you," he told her. He paused. "It... would not be the same."

She nodded. "You're right." She ran one small, wrinkled hand across the smooth curved glass of the bottle. "It's imported, you know."

"It was the last one Jack sent," he replied. "It is a pity that we couldn't share it with him."

"Yeah." Her voice fell, but a small smile played about her lips as a memory came to her. "Do you remember that sugarcane rum Raimundo brought back with him from Brazil?"

He looked up at her, his own lips curving into a smile of his own. "Not particularly - I woke up the next morning hanging by the Third Arm Sash from the eaves of the temple roof, remember? I still don't remember how I got there."

She laughed softly. "From what I can remember, you challenged Clay to see who could make it to the highest point of the temple first without being caught. The poor guy only made it as far as the kitchen before he fell asleep on the floor."

A chuckle escaped him as he remembered. "And Raimundo was the referee who decided that using his wind powers to play soccer while inebriated was a most excellent idea. If I recall correctly, his hangover was the worst."

"Better than spending the night throwing up," she said. "I couldn't keep down anything solid for three days after that."

He nodded. "But it was still fun." He paused once more, and when he spoke again she could here the waver decades of carefully repressed emotion lent to his voice. "And now we're the only ones left."

"Yes," she said. "We are." They lapsed into familiar silence again, and simply continued to watch the setting sun until, at last, darkness fell.


	27. a sort-of family dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Every week the monks have meals from each respective nationality, whether they like it or not._ (Submitted by **star-hanabi** on tumblr/ **kitsykats** on FFN.)

Shortly after their training had begun in earnest, Master Fung had issued another challenge for the young monks, in order to better strengthen the camaraderie between them: once a week, one of them would prepare a meal typical of their own home country. Adjustments had to be made, of course; Omi was a vegetarian, for example, and Clay wasn't quite able to adjust to meals in which rice was the main constituent, while Kimiko, ironically enough, harbored a surprisingly strong dislike for overly spicy foods and Raimundo  _still_ couldn't figure out how to properly work chopsticks at the dining table (which was probably why the Changing Chopsticks ranked very low on his list of preferred Shen Gong Wu), but for the most part, these meals had become the norm. While the first few meals had rather disastrous (and often inedible) results - leading even Master Fung to question whether the idea of these dinners had been a good one - the quality of the meals had improved drastically over time, and after a while were eagerly anticipated; even the senior most of the temple monks looked forward to the meal with mouths watering and stomachs rumbling.

After some time, even Jack Spicer was invited to these dinners, though he usually provided desert as opposed to an actual dish - the monks were surprised to learn that Jack was quite the confectionist when he showed up at the temple gates for his first dinner with two dozen homemade cannolis packed neatly into a clear plastic box.

"You're Italian?" Kimiko had asked skeptically.

Jack shrugged. "Don't know about Italian, but I'm a little bit of everything that's in north-western Europe, according to my folks." He held up the box. "Cannoli, anyone?"


	28. how to get your nails done with an enemy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Ashley was obviously into shopping since she was stealing from all those malls stores... How about Kimiko runs into Ashley at the mall and the two decide to get their nails done since theyre both "off duty"._ (Submitted by **anonymous** on tumblr.)

Some people ran or listened to music when they were stressed. Others did yoga or drew pictures - the outlets for stress were numerous.

For Kimiko, shopping was her personal method of release. Something about putting together new outfits, browsing between pretty blouses and colorful skirts and cute shoes, selecting a particular shade of nail polish or eyeshadow from among the spectrum laid out in the multi-story department stores of the nearest malls, was decidedly cathartic to her. She didn't have to think about training, or the eternal battle battle between good and evil, or the boys, or Dojo's latest Shen Gong Wu-related ailment; all she had to do was think about what she already had in her closet, and  _shop_.

With spring rapidly approaching, Kimiko decided that a few additions to her wardrobe were in order - fashion was something that changed and adapted constantly, and she was somewhat proud of the fact that even while living as remotely as she did while at the temple, she was still able to keep up with the latest trends. And so she actively perused the garments on the racks of her favorite store at the mall, pausing only when something particularly interesting caught her.

Kimiko soon became fixated on finding the perfect blouse to go with the green sweater she'd found on clearance that she wasn't aware how close she was to bumping into someone until it was too late. With a small yelp of surprise, she and her hapless victim fell to the floor.

She turned around to apologize. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there, and - _Katnappé_?" Kimiko narrowed her eyes and stood up immediately, already focusing her energy should the young villainess decide to attack. "What are  _you_  doing here?"

To Kimiko's surprise, the other girl only stood up and ran a hand through her short blonde hair before leaning down and picking up the clothing she'd dropped. "Relax," she said. "I'm here for the same reason you are - no need to get all worked up about it."

_Well, this is weird,_  Kimiko thought to herself before picking up the things she'd dropped as well. "So you're not stealing anything?"

The taller girl straightened with a decidedly smug look on her face. "Don't need to - Dad gave me his credit card."

"So if you're not stealing anything, Katnappé, then why are you here?" Kimiko straightened and gave her a critical look.

"First of all, the name's Ashley - 'Katnappé' is my evil name for a reason." Ashely placed one hand on her hip and frowned down at Kimiko. "Second of all, I'm here because my cousin's getting married in two weeks, and I need to find a dress for the wedding." She sighed. "Never thought I'd be telling you that, of all people."

Kimiko looked at the garments in Ashley's arms. "Are you sure you're getting stuff to wear at a wedding or a rock concert?"

Ashley glared. "Shut it," she said. "It's not like anything you picked out is any better - didn't anyone tell you that green  _that_  color only looks good if you're a plant?"

Kimiko exhaled sharply. "Okay, look," she said. "You're clearly off-duty from being evil today, and I'm not planning on doing that requires me to act like a Xiaolin monk, either - although I am really tempted to let your face get reacquainted with my fists." Ashley let out an incredulous sort of noise, but Kimiko ignored her and continued talking. "So let's make a truce - I've been here all day, and I'm getting a bit bored of shopping by myself, and part of me thinks that you're probably in the same boat."

Raising her eyebrow as her interest was piqued, Ashley smirked down at Kimiko. "...I'm listening."

At that, Kimiko responded with her own smirk, and after making their purchases, the two went down to the salon on the first floor of the mall and spent the next hour and a half getting their nails done. In hindsight, it was actually rather nice; explaining that to the boys, however, was a different story.


	29. birds and bees

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Omi starts asking where babies come from, how they are connected to "birds and bees," and where the stork finds them in the first place._ (Submitted by **dragonnutt** on tumblr.)

"Where do babies come from?"

The question was certainly an unexpected one, and Clay, Kimiko, and Raimundo looked quizzically at one another before turning to Omi.

Clay rubbed his nose. "Why do you need to now, lil' partner?" he asked.

Omi held up the Sweet Baby Amongus, which had shrunk down to its normal size at the conclusion of their combat practice. "I am curious," came the reply. "Also, what do babies have to do with bees and birds? And where does the crane find the babies in the first place?"

Raimundo blinked. "Cranes?"

"I think he means the stork, Rai." Kimiko looked at Omi. "I don't know if we should tell you, Omi. Maybe you should ask Master Fung about that."

The smallest monk shook his head. "I asked him this morning," he said, "by the master only looked very uncomfortable and told me to ask you three instead."

"Say  _what_ , now?" Raimundo sat down beside Kimiko and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why do we gotta be the ones to tell you about that stuff?"

"I'm sure Master Fung has his reasons, Rai," Clay said as he took a seat beside them. "Although I'm not too sure what it was."

Kimiko sighed. "Well, he's going to have to learn sooner or later," she said. She took a deep breath. "Alright. When people talk about 'the birds and the bees', they actually mean..." her voice trailed off, and she blushed. "This is too weird. I can't do it. Your turn, Rai."

"What do you mean, me?" Raimundo scowled and turned to Omi. "Look. 'The birds and the bees' and the idea about a stork bringing a baby are just ways of explaining how babies are made - there aren't any feathers or wings or bugs or anything involved."

Omi furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Babies are made? Like in a factory?"

Raimundo shrugged. "Not really, but you could think of it like that in some cases. We joke about it with my parents a lot, but—geez, Kim, that  _hurt_!"

"Explain it properly, or I'll hit you again." Kimiko cracked her knuckles threateningly.

"Yeah, I don't think that's the best way to explain something this delicate, partner."

"Fine, fine," Raimundo huffed. "No, babies are not made in factories. When two people want to have a baby, they do... uh, a Thing. And after they do it, a baby starts to grow, and a while later it's born. There you go." He shot Kimiko a dirty look. "Was that better?"

She frowned. "You could've been a little more elegant about it, but that's good enough for now."

Clay looked at Omi. "I'm sorry, Omi," he said. "It's just that this is a really weird thing to talk about - none of us know how to explain something like this."

Omi didn't seem too fazed, however, and merely smiled at them. "It is alright, my friends. You tried." But then he frowned slightly. "I do have one more question, though."

"Well, go ahead, lil' partner."

"Very well." Omi looked at pointedly at Kimiko. "Is it true that you bleed every month because your body because one of your oocytes was not fertilized and so all the changes your body goes through are then unnecessary and must somehow rid itself of the excess and not because you are a evil flesh eating monster in disguise?"

Kimiko gaped at him as her face flushed bright red; Raimundo looked as if he were in shock, and Clay simply blinked. "Where did you learn something like that?"

The small monk shrugged. "Dojo told me."


	30. just spin the bottle yo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Omi, Clay, Rai, and Kimiko play spin the bottle. And everyone gets Clay. Even Clay._ (Submitted by **anonymous** on tumblr.)

"I thought I understood what this game required," Omi said, "but I find that I, for once, may be mistaken." He looked at Raimundo in confusion. "Is the bottle supposed to land continuously on one person only?"

Raimundo picked up the offending bottle and examined it closely. "Not unless you want it to," he said as he held it up to his eye. "And to be completely honest, none of you are you are the sort of people I'd want to smooch - no offense, of course," he added hastily upon catching sight of Kimiko's decidedly unamused expression.

"None taken," she replied flatly, before yanking the the bottle out of Raimundo's hands and setting it back on the floor. "Try it now, Clay."

Clay ruffled his hair in obvious discomfort as Raimundo began arguing that, no, he had most certainly not rigged the bottle in any way, Kimiko, what could have possibly given you that idea anyway? "You're sure no one's going to kiss me?"

Raimundo sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "We made an agreement, bro. No lip-action of any kind. Totally platonic. Just normal truth-or-dare."

"Just making sure, Rai," Clay replied. "Except it's kind of hard to play when everyone keeps landing on me. I still get goosebumps when I think about what happened the last time we played truth-or-dare, you know."

Kimiko laid a hand on Clay's forearm in a comforting sort of way and smiled. "If it's any consolation, Clay, at least Dojo hasn't said anything about his gross Wu-rashes since then."


	31. feminine willies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Kimiko has to flirt with a young man so he will let them inside a building to get the wu, and Clay and Omi try not to laugh while Raimundo tries not to loose it._ (Submitted by **anonymous** on tumblr.)

"You sure the Wu's in there, Dojo?" Clay whispered as he peered around the old sandstone building. The dragon nodded and tightened his grasp on Clay's shoulder.

"Would this rash on my tail lie to you?" he asked in turn and waved the offending body part in the cowboy's face. Clay, to his credit, didn't even blink, though Kimiko grimaced openly and Raimundo couldn't help but shudder at the sight of Dojo's latest reaction to the most recently activated Wu.

Omi, however, didn't seem to notice how far along Dojo's ailment had progressed; his attention was occupied with observing the dark, squat building that stood across the street from them. "There are no windows we can climb through, and it seems as if there is only one door through which we may enter. He pointed at the door in question, and then to the slim figure that stood in front of it. "But it is being closely watched, and the guard didn't let me through when I respectfully asked for permission to enter earlier."

"Yeah, I don't reckon mentioning 'business with mystical artifacts far beyond the comprehension of one so average and small-minded as yourself' as your reason for going in there sat well with him at all, little buddy," Clay muttered, and with a sheepish grin, Omi rubbed his still-sore backside ruefully at the memory of the next part of the watchman's initial response.

Raimundo narrowed his eyes in concentration. "So how are we going to get in?" he asked just as a thought struck him. He looked at Kimiko excitedly. "Think your dad could get us a couple of invites, Kim? Like that time at the emperor's palace, remember?"

She glared up at him. "Of course I do - if I recall correctly, you three were making bets on me the entire time." The boys (and Dojo) froze in concern and legitimate safety for their well-being as Kimiko's angry gaze flickered over each of them in turn, before she closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "My father's got a lot of connections, Rai, but I highly doubt he's got any for a place like _this_." She paused for a moment. "Then again, maybe there _is_ something I can do to get us in there after all."

Raimundo's face lit up immediately. "Really?"

Clay looked between Kimiko and Raimundo silently for a few moments before nodding and smiling knowingly. "Something tells me you're really not going to like this, Rai."

-x-

A short while later, Raimundo's good mood had been quickly replaced by obstinate grumpiness. "I don't like this. I don't like this at all."

"Quit acting like a child, Rai," Kimiko replied, adjusting her skirt and the straps of her boots as she did so. "Unless you'd like to be the one taking one for the team instead?"

Dojo interjected before Raimundo could speak. "Hate to break up this little lovers' quarrel," he said over the indignantly incoherent splutters and counterarguments, "but I don't know how much longer my tail's going to last - let's bag that Wu and head home, ASAP. I need some ointment for this thing."

Kimiko sighed. "Anything to make you stop talking about your latest affliction. Come on." She began to walk purposefully toward the building across the street, and after sharing a silent look between them, the boys followed soon after.

"Remember," Dojo whispered from beneath the wide brim of Clay's hat, "stay calm and don't do anything rash. Leave all the talking to Kim."

"Yes," Omi said. "Let us rely on her feminine willies to get to the Shen Gong Wu - my tiger instincts tell me it is the right thing to do."

When no one bothered to deign the small monk with a reply, Dojo blinked in confusion. "Hey, isn't anyone going to correct him?"

Clay shook his head and nudged the dragon back into the safety of the hat as the group approached the guard. "Honestly, little fella, right now I think I'm more worried about Rai." He nodded in the direction of the younger boy with a smile. "Just look at him."

With his hands jammed into his pockets and eyes focused sullenly on the ground behind the dark glasses all three boys wore as part of their plan to get into the building, Raimundo was the very picture of discontent. He refused to straighten up and play the role he'd been designated until the guard waiting in front of the door approached them and Kimiko raised her foot and jammed the very pointy heel of her boot straight into the toes of Raimundo's shoes. Raimundo swallowed a yelp as the guard glanced over their group, though his glare intensified when he saw how the guard's gaze lingered on Kimiko far longer than what the Shoku Warrior would deem necessary.

Like Omi, Clay, and himself, the guard was dressed in a dark suit and sunglasses, and he did not seem entirely pleased to see them. "State your name and business," he demanded tersely. From where they had been standing across the street earlier, the guard had seemed skinny and vulnerable. Up close, however, it was obvious that his slender frame belied a wiry strength; they would have to be extremely careful, and so Kimiko chose her words carefully. 

"My name isn't all that important," she said, doing her best to play the part of the street-smart and experienced business woman she was trying to convince the guard she was, "and these are my boys. I've got some business with your boss." She moved to get past the guard and to the door, but he stepped in her path and glared down at her.

"Your name and business," he repeated.

Kimiko swallowed nervously and desperately hoped that the guard wouldn't notice her discomfort. "Name? Uh, yes, the name is..." Her eyes darted around the surrounding structures before her gaze finally settled on a bright yellow shape that rose above the roof of the gas station on the corner. "Name's Shelly. _Miss_ Shelly." Kimiko fluttered her eyelashes and gave the guard her coyest smile. "What's yours? Strong guy like you must have a good name." She did not notice when, behind her, Omi and Clay moved simultaneously and stealthily to restrain Raimundo and stop him from going at the guard head-on.

Fortunately, the guard didn't notice them. He seemed a bit nervous as he ran a hand through his bright purple-and-green mohawk (Kimiko briefly wondered what brand he used to dye his hair) while answering her. "Friends c-call me C-c-c-cobra."

"Well, C-c-c-cobra," Kimiko said with a smirk as she twirled a piece of hair around her finger. "Like I said, I've got some business with your boss. Come find me after, though - I'm a bit of a snakecharmer, you know." She winked at him.

At that moment, Clay realized that he'd reined in bulls that were easier to keep at bay than an angry Raimundo, and that something needed to be done immediately before the younger boy began to wreak havoc and ruined their plans in his fit of jealousy. "Pardon me, ma'am," he interjected, "but we need to be going."

Kimiko nodded at Clay and turned back to the guard. "Be a dear and let us in now, Cobra?" she asked sweetly. The guard simply looked at her for a moment before he seemed to realize what she asked, and hurriedly opened the door to let the group through. Kimiko's smile grew wider, and she blew the guard a kiss as she and the other monks made their way through. "See you around,  _stud_ ," she said to him as the door closed behind them.

When he knew the door was properly closed, Clay acted quickly and summoned up a surge of stone to act as effective blockade against the door. When he was certain that the wall of earth met his expectations, however, he let out a long, relieved laugh, and was joined quickly by both Omi and Dojo.

"Oh my, apple pie," Clay managed between peals of laughter. "Rai, you should've seen your  _face_! I swear, it got so hot and red, we could've fried an egg on your forehead and made ourselves a fine little omelet!"

Dojo had sprawled himself across Clay's hat, all memory of his rash seemingly forgotton. "Don't forget, my little windy Casanova - jealousy is the green-eyed monster that we all know so well! You've got to try and hide it better."

Even Omi had a hard time trying to speak again. "I haven't seen anything so amusing since I found Dojo's diary!" He stopped laughing momentarily. "Then again, I haven't seen anything quite so disturbing since then, either."

Raimundo ignored them and turned to Kimiko. "As your leader, I'm forbidding you from ever doing anything like that again. It was way too, uh..."

"Dangerous?" Kimiko offered flatly.

The Shoku Warrior nodded. "Yes. Dangerous."

"Fine." Kimiko nodded and pulled her skirt and shirt down to more conventional lengths. "Anything else, oh almighty leader?"

Raimundo shook his head. "As your leader, no," he said. "But as your boyfriend, please don't ever do anything like that ever again."

Kimiko smiled. "Alright," she said. "I can do that - now let's go find that Wu."


	32. gobble gobble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Can you write something about Jack having to stay with his Family on thanksgiving and having to wear a big tacky turkey sweater and being all pouty and annoyed but then there's food so he's all right? thank you!_ (Submitted by **ucccoffee** on tumblr.)

The negotiation had been quite clear and simplistic in its terms and agreements: Jack was to spend Thanksgiving with his family, and he, in turn, would receive a check from his parents for Christmas that would have a few more zeros tacked on at the end than usual. Being an Evil Boy Genius was not the cheapest profession, after all.

Jack, however, had not realized that "Thanksgiving" meant the duration of that entire week and not Thursday evening alone, nor had he been told that he would be expected to wear that horrible sweater Great Aunt Suzanne had given to him for his birthday that year (you know, the one with the turkey on it that actually gobbled if you pulled at its wattle), and he hadn't even been allowed any of his electronics or gadgets or anything - not even his cell phone or Gameboy or anything. His irritation as he sat down at the table for dinner, therefore, was in his opinion quite justified.

But there were mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole, and sweet potatoes, and a magnificent turkey in the center of the table that would put any other Thanksgiving dinner from that moment on to shame. And so, as he began to cut into the food on his plate Jack decided he could stand to be a bit more genial, simply because it was Thanksgiving and it was nothing more than the principle of the matter. Good food had a way of doing that to him, after all.


	33. let down your hair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Wuya combing chases hair cause he can't get the knots out himself._ (Submitted by **anonymous** on tumblr.)

Wuya's incredibly busy — meaning that she's doing little more than lounging about Chase Young's lair and tending to her nails under the annoyingly sharp gaze of the warrior's feline warriors — when she receives the summons to come to his chambers immediately. Which she pointedly ignores, of course, because even if she _is_ , for all intents and purposes, little more than his live-in prisoner (which obviously wouldn't be the case if she still had her formidable powers) Wuya has never been _summoned_ anywhere, nor will she ever allow herself to be, and it's with pointed delight that she ignores the large panther sent to escort her and instead saunters to Chase's private rooms at her own leisurely pace.

It's most certainly worth it, Wuya decides, when she pushes open the door to Chase's dressing room (she still finds it strange that the great Chase Young would include a dressing room at all in the floor plans for his lair, let alone one this lavish and opulent) to find the mighty warlord sitting at the large vanity with his expression set in its usual scowl as he tries — and very clearly fails — to drag an ivory and boar-bristle brush through the tangles of his long, dark mane of hair. Wuya leans against the door frame, arms crossed over her chest, lips curved in an almost feral smirk as she watches Chase, and it doesn't take long for him to notice her reflection in the mirror and narrow his eyes in turn.

"Not a word about this to _anymore_ ," he tells her darkly. He does not turn around.

But Wuya is not so easily swayed. She approaches him, but stops just behind him. "And what's in it for me?" she asks, leaning down to whisper in his ear. "You know how I work better than anyone."

Chase clenches his jaw, and Wuya's amusement at his predicament increases tenfold. He snaps his fingers, and the cats standing guard at the doors to his dressing room leave, the large door swinging shut after them seconds later.

"It's a start," Wuya says as she reaches for the brush caught in his hair. "We can work out the _knots_ later." She laughs at her little joke as she slowly works the brush free; Chase does little more than snarl in irritation, though he says nothing to counter her statement, and Wuya supposes that it's a start, at the very least.


	34. unexpectedly expecting or not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _FOR PROMPTS... umm.. chuya pregnancy scare? lmao_ (Submitted by **sallychanscraps** on tumblr.)

Chase Young is never worried. Anticipating, perhaps, or even cautious - after all, fortune always favors the prepared - but never worried.

Then again, Chase Young has never been in a situation such as this before, let alone thought it even _possible_ , and it is certainly more than enough to put him at least somewhat on edge, though it takes his considerable years of training to hide this fact from the woman standing before him.

"You are... certain of this, I presume?" He swallows thickly, folding his arms across his chest and gripping his upper arms tightly as he awaits a response.

"Of course I am," comes the response. Wuya's lip scowl deepens as she leans back on the bed - _his_ bed, which she's admittedly been sharing with him more often than not over the course of the past few months - and Chase's brow furrows in response. "Fairly certain, at least." She looks at him out of the corner of her eye. "Believe me, Chase, I'm just as happy about this as you are."

But Chase ignores her last statement. "You are not absolutely sure?" he asks, forcing any relief he may feel out of his expression.

Wuya rolls her eyes. "A woman's body is far different from a man's, Chase, as I know you are aware." Of course he was aware - that's what had gotten them into this predicament in the first place. "But, no. I am not _completely_ sure, not for another month or two at the very least."

He nods, and closes his eyes. "Then what do you suggest we do until this... _situation_ can be confirmed?"

She shrugs, rolls carefully onto her still-flat stomach and props herself up on her elbows. "We wait and see."

"And anything else?" Chase can't help the sneering tone in his voice, and while it never would have bothered him before, it disconcerts him, now, by how guilty he feels afterwards.

Wuya does nothing more than shrug and twist a curl of her hair around her finger. "Perhaps we could pick a color for the baby's room?" she suggests. "I was thinking blood-red - the bedroom of the child of the greatest Heylin witch and the Prince of Darkness must be suitably sinister and evil, after all."

Chase opens his eyes, then, and for a long moment merely watches Wuya, expression unreadable, before he sighs, runs a hand through his hair and joins her on the bed. "Very well."


	35. only losers read for fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: _Raikim. Bookstore trip._
> 
> Originally posted [here](http://tabine.tumblr.com/post/142359800267).

Raimundo Pedrosa does not read.

Well, he _can_  read -- obviously, and in three different languages no less -- but it’s really more that he doesn’t really care to if it’s not required of him, which in turn means that reading for pleasure is generally out of the question, for him. Not that he hasn’t tried it, of course, because he definitely  _has_ : he just doesn’t see or get the appeal of it. Not that it bothers him, particularly, since he’s always been more of a video-games-and-comics sort of guy, anyway, but he’s still somewhat put out when a Wu hunt in London leads them to a street renowned for its specialist bookshops and second-hand bookstores, and most certainly less than pleased.

Clay is naturally over the moon, of course, when he finds one establishment specializing entirely in obscure poetry, while Dojo and Omi manage to find a hole-in-the-wall sort of shop housing shelf upon shelf of aged yellow scrolls to occupy their time, leaving Raimundo to shuffle begrudgingly after Kimiko as she enters what seems to be the least nerdy-looking bookshop on this stretch of the street. It beats standing alone outside like a loser, at least, and Raimundo makes sure to tell Kimiko just as much when he catches her smirking at him in pointed amusement.

“Sure, Rai,” she replies with a scoff and a roll of her eyes before turning to peruse the bookshelf behind her, but if she notices him flipping through a large, dog-eared volume on forms of martial arts from around the world avidly twenty minutes later, Raimundo cannot be sure. She certainly doesn’t say anything when he purchases the book before they leave, at least, but it’s not like he cares or reading for fun or anything like that -- this is purely research, that’s all, and as the first of their group to be promoted to Shoku Warrior, he’s got a reputation to maintain.

(At any rate, Rai’s finally stopped making excuses three weeks later, when whatever he’s gleaned from the book helps him stay toe-to-toe with Chase Young himself, but by then everyone knows better than to tease him about it anyway.) 


End file.
